Straw And Tin Book 1
by Beatlesluver
Summary: After the events of portrayed in Wicked, Boq, Fiyero and Elphabe venture into different worlds in hopes to find cures for the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. Little do they know, they will crash into characters from other popular musicals.
1. Chapter 1: Where's Scarecrow?

"And so, let the records show that it was the courage of the lion, the brain of the scarecrow, and the heart of the tin man tha

"And so, let the records show that it was the courage of the lion, the brain of the scarecrow, and the heart of the tin man that rid us of the horrible wicked witch!" The crowds of Ozians around her cheered and celebrated, dancing and singing with the news of the death of Elphaba. Though everyone adored and admired Glinda the Good, this particular celebration was centralized around the 3 heroes who liberated there country from wickedness. The three unlikely champions stood in the center of the celebration, with the Lion purring loudly, the Scarecrow beaming with self absorbed pride, and the Tin Man, who surprisingly looked depressed and lonely.

_She still radiates with beauty_, Boq though to himself as he looked onto his star-crossed lover with a lustful ambition. _Well, it seems that I have finally got Glinda's attention (somewhat), and a heart (sort of), but I still feel so lost and unhappy._ _It's probably just the fact I'm still so jealous of Fiyero; he did absolutely nothing, but he won the girl (__my__ girl), was appointed to Captain, and for all I know, has planned a wonderful wedding with Glinda and will live happily ever after. It's not like I could possibly win her back, I mean look at me! If she had nothing to do with me before, there's no way she would ever like me now. Uhhh…you got to get your mind off her. Speaking of mind, may be the Scarecrow can bring me out of my sorrows._

The Tin Man turned to his right, where the Scarecrow had originally been standing, to discover he was gone. He looked all around, through the mobs of people, and still no sight of his familiar awkwardly shaped body and canvas, painted face.


	2. Chapter 2: The Letter

Frightened about what had happened to his friend, the Tin Man pushed through the crowds of joyous people

Frightened about what had happened to his friend, the Tin Man pushed through the crowds of joyous people. He walked casually down the yellow brick road, calling out for the Scarecrow, but every time was left fruitless with a reply. He finally reached a fork in the road and came to a stop. He looked around and saw a huge cornfield beside him with an empty post and millions of crows. He glanced at the road itself and discovered something lying in the middle of the fork. He approached it to discover that it was the Scarecrow's hat. He picked up the old, tattered hat and discovered a note inside, which he unraveled and read quietly to himself…

**Dear Fiyero,** (_What the…Fiyero? How does the Scarecrow know him and why does he have his mail?_)

**The plan worked!! Everyone in Oz believes me to be dead, but just to be safe, meet me at Kiamo Ko after the commotion begins; that way, no one will notice you're gone. Once the celebrating begins, sneak away from the scene and travel to the poppy fields. There, Chistry will pick you up and quickly transport you to Kiamo Ko. Once you arrive there, pound on the trap door 3 times so I know it's you, and I will activate "the door" **(_What could "the door" be? What in the world is Fiyero involved in?_) **Then we will together leave Oz and will search for means of the cure **(_Oh Oz, is he ill?_)**. Till we meet again, my love…**

**Elphie **

_What the hell is happening? The Scarecrow knowing Fiyero! Fiyero and Elphaba together!! Elphaba alive!! There is only one way to find out my answers, and the answers lie in Kiamo Ko._


	3. Chapter 3: Skid Row

Well, one bright side to being a tik-tok is that I can run without getting tired, Boq thought as he sped down the yellow brick

_Well, one bright side to being a tik-tok is that I can run without getting tired,_ Boq thought as he sped down the yellow brick road at top speed. With every step rang a harsh metallic noise and sent vibrations up his body, but he didn't care; the only thing he was thinking of was all of the mysteries that were created after reading the letter. He rushed pass the emerald city, through the haunted forest, and soon discovered himself in the mountains near Kiamo Ko.

_Wow, last time I was here, I was leading an angry mob against the woman who condemned to eternity in a tin prison filled with loneliness_. As he slowed his pace and meandered down the mountainous region, all of a sudden he saw a flying monkey carrying a body through the air, landing swiftly on the rooftop of the castle.

_That must be Fiyero! _The Tin Man lubricated his joints so he wouldn't be heard and quietly slipped in a back door of the castle. He made he was up the cold cement stairs, stopping abruptly when he heard voices. They were coming from the room that the witch had supposedly melted. He pressed what resembled an ear to the door and could vaguely make out what the voices were saying. The suave male voice, obviously Fiyero's, was trying to convince the woman, obviously Elphaba, to leave Oz, obviously using "the door".

_This information is useless, I have to see what is happening. _The Tin Man slowly opened the door a bit, just enough to see what was happening; to Boq's shock, he saw the Scarecrow with Elphaba, trying with all of his might to take her into a giant archway, which had an eerie green glow in the middle. _Wait, WHAT THE HELL?! _The witch finally gave way, and, taking the Scarecrow's hands said, "Don't worry Fiyero, you will be you again, and I'll do what ever I can to make that a reality. Alright, next stop – a whole new world"! With that, they kissed and slowly stepped through the arch and disappeared, leaving Boq alone with his confusion.

_Oh OZ!! Fiyero __is__ the Scarecrow, and…Elphaba, she is going to fix him!! She'll make him human again, so maybe…SHE COULD DO THE SAME FOR ME!! I can't let them get away, I have to follow them. It's my only chance at happiness. _With that, he leaped through the portal…

With a clang and a bang he tumbled out of thin air into a cold, dingy place. Dazed and confused, Boq looked around him to see that he wasn't in Oz anymore; he was in a dark and dirty urban place, covered with beggars and sketchy looking people. Litter covered the streets and run down buildings crowed the sidewalk. As he was looking around, Boq heard from behind him a group of girls giggling. He turned around to discover three young girls with a Winkie-like skin tone and oversized, dirty clothes. "I love those human statues, they just never come down to the deeper parts of this town. They all must be from The Village or sum'n, I'm first the green girl and the weird patchwork guy and now this weird tin can dude" said one as another chimed, "Yeah, but this fool isn't very good at it, I mean c'mon, he keeps moving, and he looks too fake. Hey buddy, are you new or sumthin', 'cuz you need more practice".

Boq was still in a daze and still had no clue where he was, or where Elphie and Fiyero had gone. "Uh, I'm sorry Miss (All the girls giggled in a mocking tone at this word), but…where am I exactly?". "What are you trippin' or sumthin'? Baby, you otta know where you are, 'cuz this aint the safest part of town if you know what I mean?". "Uh… no I don't know what you mean. I apologize, I am, uh…very new to these parts, or this world for that matter. Could you please be a little more definite". "Shoot, buddy, you chose the wrong place to be lost, 'cuz honey, you're in the middle of a place where for everyone _the alarm goes off at 7, and you start uptown. You put in your 8 hours for the powers that have always been, 'till its 5 pm. Then you go downtown, where the folks are broke. You go downtown, when your life's a joke. You go downtown, when you buy your token you go home to SKID ROW_!"


	4. Chapter 4: Seymour Krelborne

"Skid Row, huh

"Skid Row, huh?", Boq said to the group of girls. "Why would Elphaba want to travel here? Uh, I mean…you said you saw a green girl, which way did she go?"

"She and the weird scarecrow-lookin' guy started bookin' it quickly south and then went into that famous flower shop. You'know, that famous Muschnik Flower Shop with that huge flytrap. It's been all over the news."

"Thanl you Miss," Boq said quickly and dashed south down Skid Row. He was amazed at how fast his new mechanical body could run, for he soon was at the famed Muschnik Flower Shop. _Oh gosh, this place isn't like Oz, everyone looks kinda like Dorothy and the Wizard, except dirtier and scarier. I might frighten people away and cause a commotion. I have to blend in somehow._

He glanced around him and saw a man in a huge hooded cape sprawled out against a building. Boq wasn't quite sure if the man was dead or just sleeping, but he snatched the cape quickly, put it on, and entered the flower shop.

Though it appeared dirty and unkempt on the outside, it was wonderful on the inside. The walls were draped with roses and other flowers of every kind and color, but the most impressive thing was by far the plant in the left hand corner of the room. It was a elephant-sized flytrap labeled as "Audrey II". As the disguised Tin Man gazed in awe at the giant plant, he felt a tap on his shoulder, which let out a small metallic ding.

"Woah, sir, I think you've been using too much starch in the wash, hehe."

Boq turned around to see a boy, no older then 21, around Boq's age, with a mop of messy brown hair, a large, misshapen nose, and pair of glasses that framed his small brown eyes. "I'm Seymour Krelborne, what can I help you with?"

"Uh, yes. I am on the search for someone, and I assume they had a private appointment with you. The person I am looking for is very distinguishable, due to the green hue of her skin"

At that, Seymour stiffened. His placid eyes narrowed as he said, "Are…are you an Ozian as well?"

At that point Boq removed his hood, which caused Seymour's eyes to widen with fright and his mouth to fall open. "What do you think?"

"Please, this way," Seymour said as he ushered the now once again hooded Boq through a small door in the back of the room. Boq followed Seymour up a winding staircase into a dimly lit room filled with beakers, test tubes, bubbling mixtures, and a small green girl holding a Scarecrow's hand.


	5. Chapter 5: Boq's Tale

Elphaba looked up at the strange, hooded figure and immediately rose, knocking Fiyero to the ground

Elphaba looked up at the strange, hooded figure and immediately rose, knocking Fiyero to the ground. "Seymour!! What is this? We just went over our agreement, and I clearly stated no one could know of our meetings. Who is he anyway? Hey you, remove your hood and reveal yourself"!

Boq slowly lowered the hood to reveal his tin face, causing all of Elphaba's rage to melt away. "Boq, is…is that you? How…how in the world did you find us"? At that moment, Fiyero shakily stood up to get a better look.

After sizing up the Tin Man he raised a patchwork eyebrow and asked, "Boq? How could that be you, I mean, what happened to you"?

"I was just about to ask you the same thing, Fiyero".

The Scarecrow's eyes went wide at the mention of his name. "How in the world did you find out it was me"? At that moment, Elphaba quietly whispered to Seymour that they should have a brief word outside, leaving the two objects alone with each other.

Boq pulled the hat and letter our of his empty chest cavity. "You need to be more careful. If anyone had discovered the supposed killer of the witch was actually the traitor Captain and boyfriend of the witch, all hell would've broken loose".

Fiyero blushed, _How could I have been so stupid to drop my hat_. Boq handed him his hat and Fiyero placed on his soft canvas head. For a while neither of them talk, but it was Fiyero who broke the ice.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"…Why did you lead that mob to kill Elphie? She was your friend, you new her when you were little, you helped her do research for Dr. Dillamond. Why did you try to kill your friend?"

"Are you really as stupid as you went on? Ever wonder how I became this tin monstrosity? It was her, her and her wicked sister! It was the night Elphaba came to visit Nessa and relieved her of her paralyze. Nessa became enraged when I begged her to let me go find Glinda and used that book that Elphaba always carries with her to try to cast a spell…"

"What is it Boq, are you hurt," Elphaba asked as the spell hit Boq and he began to fall against the abandoned wheelchair. _Oh Oz! What is happening to me!!_ Boq clutched his chest as he slid further into chair. His heart was contracting and constricting, causing his limbs to tremble and twitch. Soon, he was struggling to get a breath, but managed to whisper, "My…my heart, it…it feels like it's shrinking". As his heart continued to shrink, he lost all feeling of his limbs and his vision began to fuzz and fade. Just before he lost consciousness, he could make out Elphaba waving her arms, chanting, and looking at the spell book.

As he began to awaken, he noticed his eyelids seemed very heavy and stiff. "Where am I," he moaned, "What happened"? His voice sounded odd to him, like it was echoing through a metallic fixture. He looked around, discovering he was still in Nessa's home. _Had the event with Elphaba all been a dream?_

From behind he heard the all too familiar voice of Nessarose reply, "Nothing, uh…you just fell asleep". _ Huh, it must have just been a nightmare._ As he tried to get up, he discovered not just his eyelids, but his whole body felt heavy and stiff. _What's going on here?_ He tried to walk towards Nessa, but it was extremely hard to walk, and every time he moved, there was an odd squeaking noise. He eventually reached Nessa, who, not to his surprise, was vainly looking at herself in the mirror. Nessa turned around to speak to him, but upon looking at Boq, let out a shriek of horror and fell to the floor. He reached out his hand to help her off the floor, but all she did was gaze in a wide-eyed horror at Boq. "What is it," he asked, confused and afraid, "What's wrong".

It was then he noticed his hand; it was no longer a regular, munchkin's hand. It was completely composed of tin; where his joints were, there were now rusty hinges connected with screws, and where his fingers had been now were cylindrical tubes of tin. To his horror, he looked at his whole body to discover it was no different; his arms, legs, and torso were all made of the same, polished metal. In a panic, he shoved the crumpled mess of Nessa out of the way of the mirror, just so he could get of clear look at what he had truly become. What had once been a somewhat handsome, boyish face now resembled some sort of rickety sculpture. His mop of scruffy, brown hair no longer existed, his once clear, blue eyes were now cold and grey, and his lower jaw was a huge hinged structure on the bottom of his face. _WHY!! Why me! Haven't I been cursed enough! Oh god, that wasn't a nightmare! It was Nessa, but mostly that horrid sister of her's, Elphaba. THIS WAS HER FAULT. I…I can't stay here, not anymore!!_

Boq ran screaming in frustration from the mansion, with beads of oil running from his eyes; a Tin Man's form of tears.


	6. Chapter 6: Blood

When Boq finished his story, Fiyero looked up at him to see he was in tears

When Boq finished his story, Fiyero looked up at him to see he was in tears. "What the heck is wrong with you? Gosh, I mean at least I know I'm stupid; you act so superior to me on so many aspects, but you are completely blind to what happened! Nessa cast a spell to shrink your heart, so Elphie, wanting to save your life, turned you into the only thing that could survive without a heart. SHE SAVED YOUR LIFE!"

Boq looked up at Fiyero with a look of pure fury on his face. "Saved? You think she savedmy life?! She didn't save it, she ended it!! You call this life?! I can't eat, I don't sleep, I can't even feel, physically and emotionally!! I WOULD RATHER BE DEAD!!"

"BUT WHAT IF THERE WAS A CURE, HUH?! WOULD YOU BE GRATEFUL THEN?"

At this, Boq turned his chin down and blushed, or more so, a darker hue of grey. _A cure? Is that what they were talking about when they went through "the door"?_ "That's why we're here! Elphie, while waiting in the trapdoor, used the Grimmerie to generate a list of people who could possibly cure me, or now, us."

"You…you mean we could be…normal again?"

"Well, there is a very strong possibility," interjected Elphaba as she and Seymour reentered the room. "Boq, I feel absolutely responsible for your current condition, and I thought it over, and you can absolutely come with us in a search for a cure."

"Oh Oz, thank you so much Elphie, and could you ever forgive me for what I tried to do to you; I was so confused, and furious, and I felt that since I had nothing left to live for, I had to take it out on something. I…I couldn't feel more sorry, and I hope you except my apology."

"How could I not except such a wonderful apology from a wonderful gentleman," she said sweetly, making him blush once again. Seymour stepped in front of Elphaba and began to speak. "For you, Boq, who are unaware, I am Seymour Krelbourne, shopkeeper by day, experimental botanist by night. Through my studies of otherworldly plants, I have learned to create super hybrid plants. I have created plants whose pollen can turn hair green, others who can take over a body of an animal, and others who evolve in days, rather then millions of years."

"That's incredible, Seymour, but I don't understand how that can help us," Boq said tentatively.

"Seymour recently engineered a plant species that excretes at special type of aloe that, rather then making skin healthier, it turns things into living tissue!" With that, she trust out her palm, revealing a small, pink item that looked like the organ of some small animal.

"What in the world is that?"

"That used to be a thimble, but is now a functioning living being!"

"That's amazing!! Here, rub it on my arm; I'm not afraid to be test subject!"

Seymour and Elphie exchanged as glance before Seymour said, "Well, y'see there's a slight problem; I can't get enough aloe from the plant to have any affect on you or Fiyero. Y'see, the plant that secretes this aloe is not like a normal plant; it's a parasitic plant, that during its early development, it attached itself to another plant. If this plant is not fed enough, then the other plant cannot secrete any aloe."

"So, why don't you just feed it?"

"Well…because…it eats…blood."


	7. Chapter 7: Suppertime

"B-blood," Boq stuttered

Chapter 705/04/2008 09:53:00

"B-blood," Boq stuttered.

"Yes indeed. You recall the flytrap in the entrance hall; the one that's been featured on TV for the past couple of weeks, Audrey II? I can only get the aloe if Audrey II is fed, and that's where Elphaba, here, comes in!"

"What are you gonna do? Kill people!?"

"Honestly Boq," said Elphaba, "you really are slow sometimes. No, I'm not going to kill people. Before we came here, I located a spell in the Grimmerie that can turn water into blood. I think this world has actually seen this spell happen, but it was long ago, thousands of years ago."

Elphaba had found the spell a few hours before; It wasn't that complicated, but it took a lot of energy to perform. The giant basin had been put in front of Audrey II and Elphaba was preparing for the spell. She placed the book on the ground and did a quick incantation that filled it to the brim with water. She flipped through the pages and found the spell. She crouched low to the ground, placed her finger tips in the water, and over and over repeated the words "salasso anima da pioggia".

Boq looked at the water to see that a bright red streak was flowing out of her finger tips, twisting and turning in the water, and growing as well. As the Tin Man shifted his glance to Audrey II, he quickly noticed it tilt its gigantic trap down towards the basin, like it was staring at it. As the red streak grew, turning most of the water into blood, the plant's jaw slowly opened, revealing several rows of pointed teeth, dripping with a wet solution. Some of the liquid dripped from the plant's mouth, and as it touched the floor, it immediately burned through it. Though this was very interesting, moving plants were nothing new to him, or Oz more so. Towards the end of the incantation, the plant began to outstretch its neck toward the blood-filled basin, but as it did, Boq could clearly distinguish some sort of growth underneath Audrey II's leafy mane. _That had to be the parasite!_

As Elphaba muttered the last words of the spell, the plant plunged it's head right into the basin, slurping up all of the blood. When it had finished, it picked it's head out of basin, but just a Seymour reached for parasite to retrieve the aloe, Audrey II snapped it's jaw, almost snapping off Seymour's hand. It let out a guttural growl as it glared at Seymour. "Uh…I think we should retrieve the aloe tomorrow. You know, when there's more of it."

As they all filed out of the room, Boq turned to see the plant was looking straight at him. All of the others had left, so it was just him and Audrey II in the entrance hall. "You, boy, are a threat to me," said the plant in a deep, melodic voice. At that, the plant extended one of it's huge vines, wrapping it around Boq many times, and just about as he let out a scream, wrapped the end of the tentacle around his metallic jaw. "Hmn. I man made of tin. Yeah, you could be a serious problem". With that, he sprayed a red smog from him his trap, and Boq went unconscious immediately. The last thing he heard was Audrey II's maniacal laugh.


	8. Chapter 8: Taproot

Boq awakened after what felt like forever

Boq awakened after what felt like forever. From the looks of it, it was the middle of the night, and Boq was lying on a cot in Seymour's lab. _How long was I out? And what did Audrey II mean by I was a threat to him?_

He was the only one in the lab and, by the looks of it, he had been out for a while; green vines and leaves covered the walls. Seymour's equipment had all been destroyed and his precious hybrid plants were lying, dead, all over the ground. All of a sudden, he heard Seymour scream from the entrance hall, and then a huge crash. He looked around the room and saw the emergency fire axe, which he grabbed and headed downstairs.

It was a horrible sight; Audrey II had completely taken over the store. It's trap was three times the size it originally was, and its vines and roots had grown all over the walls and into the floor. Seymour as a crumpled mess against the wall, unconscious or dead, Boq did not know. Fiyero had been torn to pieces, straw everywhere, with his head laying over be Seymour, a look of horror on his face. But the worst was Elphaba; she was standing in the middle of the room, looking at Fiyero and Seymour with a look of evil joy. For some reason, she seemed greener then normal, and that's when Boq saw a thin, yellow vine from Audrey II attached to the back of her skull. As Boq clanked down the stairs, both Elphaba and Audrey II glared at him. "Elphie! What's wrong with you?! Did…did you do this to Fiyero and Seymour?! What have you done?!"

Audrey II extended a huge vine and constricted Boq once again. "She can't hear you son," said the plant, "You see that vine connected to her head? It's called a taproot, and with it, I'm in control. And it won't end here, either. This little girl will help me with my take over!"

"What kind of take over? What are you talking about?"

"Man, she was right; you are slow. You think that parasite just jumped onto my neck? Hell no! When it was in the development stage, Seymour couldn't stop talking about how it was going to help him. He said he made a deal with a girl from another world, that if he gave her the plant, she had a way of getting him anything he wanted, and I couldn't help from wondering if that was to get rid of me. Naturally, I was very suspicious; I didn't like the fact of Seymour being in charge of my wellbeing; once she got the plant, would she kill me? I had to make sure she wouldn't, so, I implanted the parasite on myself so that Seymour couldn't get what he wanted without my consent. Then I began to realize that this girl was much more powerful then I expected"


	9. Chapter 9: Mean Green

"Ever since I saw her, I could feel the radiating power from within her

"Ever since I saw her, I could feel the radiating power from within her. She could do things no one could ever dream of doing. It was then I thought of yet another plan; I would get Seymour and her to keep feeding me blood so I could grow large enough to grow a healthy taproot. Buddy, you've been out for almost a week, and the whole time, I kept making them feed me blood without giving them their aloe. Now look at me; THERE'S NOTHIN' YOU CAN DO!! I A MEAN GREEN MUTHA FROM OUTER SPACE, AND I'M BAD!"

The plant's excruciatingly strong grip was crushing Boq's malleable, tin body, but he couldn't even begin to get free. Audrey II let out a howl of joyous epiphany and shouted to the sky, "I AM AUDREY II!! NOTHIN' CAN STOP ME!!"

With that, he swung one of his huge vines through a wall, causing the whole building to come crashing down upon all five of them. Boq knew that Elphaba, Fiyero, and himself would be ok, but he was frightened about Seymour's wellbeing, for now, all that was visible of his new acquaintance was a hand sticking out of the rubble. Audrey II flung Boq into the pile, and surprisingly, used it's vines to hoist itself up, and walk away, with Elphaba at his side. Dazed and confused, Boq shakily got up and started throwing away the rubble. He soon discovered Fiyero and the rest of his body, give or take a few strands of straw, but Seymour was nowhere to be found.

"Boq! We have to go," said Fiyero's head, "It's our fault that thing is about to take over the city, and maybe even this entire world. I'm sorry about Seymour as well, but this is more important!"

Boq reluctantly gave up his search for Seymour, grabbed Fiyero's body parts and his axe, and began to run after Elphaba and the plant.


	10. Chapter 10: Seymour's Price To Pay

It was not a hard task, finding a 25 foot tall flytrap, either by it's size, or the trail of blood that followed him

It was not a hard task, finding a 25 foot tall flytrap, either by it's size, or the trail of blood that followed him. Audrey II was devouring everyone in his sight, for he used Elphaba to cause them to become frozen in their steps, helpless against the monstrous plant. He was devouring people by the dozens at this rate. Boq placed Fiyero's parts in a alley, a safe place, and dashed off.

The plant hadn't noticed Boq was pursuing him, so Boq took the time to oil his joints for a surprise attack. He had found some oil in the street that really did the trick; Boq started sprinting as fast as he could, though completely silently, swinging his axe like a madman as he approached the taproot. Just as he became within slicing distance, he was clothes-lined by one of Audrey II's massive vines, which after, picked him up by his tin ankle and dangled him in front of Audrey II's face.

"Boy, you are predictable. Y'see, the problem with you is that you never think anything through clearly! I mean, c'mon, a blind, stupid attack out of the blue on the taproot? You need to make better decisions buddy. That's why you're always second, that's why you can never win. I bet you weren't always made out of tin. You're stupid, and impulsive, and that's why you…" (he began to prepare acid from his mouth to dissolve Boq), "will never…" (he began to drip the acid from him mouth), "wi-", but before the plant could drop it's deadly acid on Boq, something had cut him off. Both of them looked down to see Seymour finish his cut through the taproot with Boq's axe, which he had dropped when Audrey II picked him up.

"SEYMOUR!?", both of them shouted as Elphaba fell to the ground, fatigued from all of the magic she had used up. All of the energy had been taken out of her so quickly, it left a huge, defacing scar across the right side of her face. Boq had never seen anything like it, but all of the magic had been so powerful that it had taken a real toll on her bodily cells. Seymour began to drag her off to the side, but Audrey II was too quick. He snatched both of them up, one in a separate vine.

"YOU KILLED MY TAPROOT," shouted Audrey II, "I WILL NEVER GROW ANOTHER ONE!! IF I CAN'T HAVE THIS GIRL'S POWER, NO ONE ELSE EVER CAN EITHER!!". With that, he dangled her above his gaping mouth. Seymour acted so quickly, Boq couldn't have stopped him if he had tried; He swiftly swung the axe through Audrey II's vine, he fell onto the head of the plant, and before Audrey II could drop Elphaba, he leaped into the plant's gaping mouth, axe in hand. The plant snapped its trap shut, closing out Seymour's bloodcurdling screams as the acid devoured him. All of a sudden, dark, thick liquid began oozing from Audrey II's mouth, and soon enough, the huge plant collapsed to the ground, dead.

Boq squeezed himself from the dead plant's vines and rushed over to Elphaba, who had not yet awoken. He gracefully lifted her onto his tin shoulders and carried her over to where Fiyero still laid in shambles.

"Wha-what happened," Fiyero stammered as he gazed upon his lover and her new, disfiguring scar.

"Oh no worries, she'll be fine, but she would have died if it wasn't for Seymour."

"Seymour?! I thought he was dead! Where is he?! I have to thank him for saving my Elphie."

"Seymour sacrificed himself to the plant and chopped it up with my axe from the inside. He's dead, but a tremendous hero."

Confusion and humiliation engulfed Fiyero. "Hu-how!? It-it should have been ME!! I'm the one in love with her, and I couldn't even help. I should have been the one who died, not laying here useless and pathetic!!"

"Well, you can't change what happened. The one thing you can do is find the cure. That's why Seymour died for Elphie; so we could find the cure. First thing tomorrow, we go to the next name on the list."

He gathered up Fiyero in one arm (he would repair him later), and Elphaba in the other as he meandered passed the dead plant. All of a sudden, he caught a glimpse of the parasite. He placed the two down on the ground before he walked over to it, noticing there was barely any aloe; when the plant died, so did the parasite. It wasn't enough to do anything to him, but maybe it could be used by one of the other people Elphaba had found to help them. He unscrewed one of his pinkies, let some of the little aloe left drip in, and placed the pinkie into his chest cavity before picking up his friends and heading down Skid Row


	11. Chapter 11: Scarred

Elphaba woke with a start a few hours later

.Elphaba woke with a start a few hours later. She looked around her; they were in an alleyway, with they meaning her, Boq, and Fiyero. Boq was sitting against a wall, stuffing Fiyero's body back with straw and sewing up holes he had in his body. When she sat up, they both smiled with relief.

"Elphie," shouted Fiyero as he tried to escape Boq's hard grip to hug her.

"Sit still you idiot," said Boq, "Do you want me to tear your back!"

Fiyero slipped out of Boq's grasp and hugged Elphaba. She was so confused; _What had happened? I don't remember anything for the past few hours. Did I pass out? Where's Seymour?_

Elphaba began to push Fiyero away. He looked at her, confused, before she asked with concern and fright, "What happened? Why do you two look so concerned and worried, and what are you staring at Boq?"

Boq quickly averted his glance from her new disfiguring scar across the right side of her face. _I can't tell her, not yet…_

Fiyero let out a deep sigh and recounted what had happened over the past few hours. When he finished, he looked up to see she was balling her eyes out. He tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away. The guilt of what happened engulfed her as she put her hands over her face to hide her shame. That's when she felt it…

She ran her jade-colored hand over the right side her face again, feeling the rough unevenness which had not been there before. She looked all around her in the alley and saw a small dumpster. She quickly got up, ignoring her fatigue and dizziness, and rushed over to it, rummaging through it in search of a mirror. Before Fiyero or Boq could stop her, she found a small hand mirror that had been thrown away and gazed at her new reflection.

The once soft, smooth green skin on the right side of her face had been morphed into a hideous deformity; her right eye was held loosely in a socket that was too large, encircling the eye with a dark circle. A dark red gash stretched across her face, through her eye, and down the other side of her cheek. Pulsating veins had been etched into the upper right-hand quarter of her face and deep ridges outlined her cheek bone.

She let out a shriek and threw the mirror against the wall, shattering it. Tears continued to streak down her face as picked up the Grimmerie, which was even dustier and dirtier then normal, after being buried in the rubble of Mushnik's Flower Shop.

"Fae," said Fiyero as he tried to pull her away from the book. "You've strained yourself too much already!! You'll have to wait, to make sure you don't make it worse! If you try to heal it, you could end up dying!!"

With that, she capitulated, pushed him away, and slowly flipped through the book slowly to a specific page. She looked at the spell, closed her eyes, rotated her right wrist, snapped her fingers, and a small puff of red smoke appeared. She reached her hand into it and pulled out a white porcelain half-mask. She placed it over the scar, and to Fiyero and Boq's surprise, fit perfectly and stuck without any strings.

She let out a deep sigh and coolly said, "Come. We have more people to meet."


	12. Chapter 12: Transylvania

Elphaba got up from where she had been seated, and Fiyero and Boq followed

Elphaba got up from where she had been seated, and Fiyero and Boq followed. Elphaba began to walk off, the boys exchanged glances, and followed promptly.

The mask added a form of eeriness to Elphaba; in Fiyero and Boq's eyes, it added a lifeless aspect to Elphaba's face, in which they both would have been more comfortable if she had not been wearing it, with or without the deformity.

After a while of walking, Elphaba stopped abruptly. _This is the place where I appeared when I entered "the door", _Boq thought to himself. Elphaba pressed both of her hands together in front of her body, and as she pulled them apart, she created a giant rip out of nowhere that had the same look as the vortex in the archway. She placed her hands down at her sides and stepped through vortex, with Boq and Fiyero right behind her. Once all three of them were inside the vortex, it began to close and Elphaba shouted, "TRANSYLVANIA"

**To be continued…**


End file.
